Restaurants, Bar & pub food within 5 miles of Glasgow

Sleazy’s, as the city’s hipsters so fondly call it, is a Glasgow institution as far as music/arts venues go, and among those rarities with a 3am licence all week. The interior may feel like a well-worn leather jacket, dragged through the bowels of…

It’s the touches of vintage chic that add to this venue’s sophistication: the tin lampshades, cool, clip-board menus, sharp staff in smart shirts and continual tinkle of rat-pack piano jazz in the background, create a distinctly urbane, New York bistro…

Housed in the former Sheriff Court there are few building fronts as impressive anywhere in the city. Gone are any remnants of law court life. Split between a ground floor with a massive glitzy cocktail bar, and an upstairs restaurant that has a more…

Laid-back, kitsch and a real hipster heaven, The Drake seems to appeal to a subtly upmarket yet down to earth throng of 30-something professionals. The main attraction is the bar: with its big sofas and bookshelves, it’s as relaxed as a lounge, with a…

This impressive building has a new bar aimed at drinkers old enough to be parents of the former Frankenstein punters. A mix of after-work groups, couples and the more serene night-outers enjoy a drink amid contemporary stylings and lots of room over two…

Packing a punch at the snoozy end of Byres Road, the Two Figs is a sociable venue to shoot the breeze over double-shot daiquiris, a figgylicious cocktail or continental beer or two. Well-crafted globally inspired dishes focus on fresh ingredients and…

Variety Bar is a colourful affair with a unique atmosphere, where students, musos and ravers sit beside office workers and typically Glaswegian ‘old men’. There are always a few characters inside, as well as premium beers on tap and a strong selection…

This increasingly popular bar has something of a twin persona: there’s the pint and pub lunch side of its character in the traditionally decorated ground level, and then there’s the clubbing side, which sees punters pack into the basement for…

Located in an old tobacco merchant’s house on the periphery of the Merchant City, Babbity Bowster is a pleasantly secluded place for a drink and some good food, particularly in the beer garden if the sun is shining on this evocative street. Babbity…

Taking inspiration from New Orlean’s ‘Holy Trinity’ Cajun cooking, this American-themed venue has a combined focus on soul food, music and cocktails. Divided bar/lounge style, with one area focused on food the other on drinks, with décor that may feel…

The Black Sparrow attracts sophisticated patrons to its ornate and über cool abode. It has an old-fashioned bourbon bar look, with smoochy jazz/ambient beats mellowing the airwaves. It’s actually quite romantic. Dark burgundy leather studded booths…

Closed in 2012, the Captain's Rest is much missed, as a bar and especially as a gig venue. But its effective successor Broadcast – situated much more centrally, practically eyeball-to-eyeball with nearest rival Nice 'n' Sleazy – promises to be just as…

Zinc tables, novelty spirits behind the bar, walls papered with banknotes and postcards from around the globe: at first glance Brutti Ma Buoni has all the trappings of a travellers’ bar rather than a traditional bistro. But it would be a shame to miss…

Patrons here live it up while the bar’s inspiration Charles Bukowski looks disdainfully down from a portrait on the wall. Mind you, even the hedonistic Buk would have struggled to work his way through the extensive range of quality rums and bourbons.

Until recently called the Ivy, Distill's new name hasn't changed it from being a haunt for the hip, with a young cool crowd attracted to a fashionable part of the city. The range of rums is the widest in Scotland and the house rum is the excellent…

Pleasingly familiar to regulars and newbies alike, the Doublet is like an old friend you might not have met yet. A truly traditional pub eschewing gastro trends, Sky Sports and endless TV – all of which is part of its charm. Fifty years old and a fondly…

This genuine neighbourhood bar is simple and minimal in its approach. Windows on two sides let in plenty of light, or highlight the goings on of the quiet street beyond, and the original brick walls are unadorned and unaltered. A compact menu offers…

No other bar in Glasgow serves oysters. What’s more, The Finnieston does them properly: on-ice, in a big ceramic half-shell, with Tabasco and pickled shallots. Presentation is more than half the battle here. There’s ‘classily nautical’ décor: aged wood…

Jackson’s is a welcome addition to Cowcaddens, in its struggle for decent drinking dens – unless spit and sawdust is your tipple. Nearby student accommodation contributes to a mixed clientele that also includes an older crowd from its days as the…